Chekhov’s ‘Uncle Vanya’ returns with actor Lee Seo-jin
Russian writer Anton Chekhov’s “Uncle Vanya” is returning to the stage this spring in a new LG Arts Center production reframing the 19th-century Russian classic’s quiet storms of regret, unrealized dreams and ordinary people’s everyday resilience to resonate with audiences in 2026 Korea. The original work, first staged in 1899, centers on Vanya, who devotes his life to managing a rural estate in Russia for his late sister’s husband, a professor. He confronts that his sacrifices may have been in vain when the professor returns with his beautiful, young new wife Yelena. And the fragile peace Vanya has maintained with his niece Sonya and their neighbors begins to crumble. Despite its 19th-century origins, the story is not confined to a specific time or place, the creative team stressed at a press conference, Tuesday. LG Arts Center's head Lee Hyun-jung said the goal is “to share values with audiences through a classic that still poses valid questions for our time.” Director Son Sang-gyu described the play as a portrait of “ordinary people living amid lost years and unreal
